Sleep Duration and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes.

Population Health Research Institute, St George's, University of London, London, United Kingdom; and arudnick@sgul.ac.uk.

2

Population Health Research Institute, St George's, University of London, London, United Kingdom; and.

3

Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Associations between sleep duration and type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk markers in childhood have been little studied. We examined associations between self-reported sleep duration and T2D risk markers in children.

METHODS:

Cross-sectional study of 4525 multiethnic UK children aged 9 to 10 years. Sleep time was calculated from self-reported usual time of going to bed and getting up on a school day, validated in a subset using accelerometers. Fasting blood samples provided levels of serum lipids and insulin, plasma glucose, and HbA1c. Physical measures included height, weight, bioimpedance, and blood pressure. Multilevel linear regression models of anthropometric, T2D, and cardiovascular risk markers with sleep duration were adjusted for sex, age, month, ethnicity, socioeconomic position, observer (physical measures only), and random effect of school.

CONCLUSIONS:

The finding of an inverse association between sleep duration and T2D risk markers in childhood is novel. Intervention studies are needed to establish the causality of these associations, which could provide a simple strategy for early T2D prevention.